Moral conservative stances are not for everyone

Oct 28 2009 - 11:18pm | Asha McElfish

As much as moral conservatives would like to idealize abstinence as the answer to all sexual health issues—because we all know you become universally invincible to an STI once you get married—the simple reality is that it is not the cure-all they have wished it to be.

The bottom line is human beings like sex. With youth comes puberty and with puberty comes hormones. Have we forgotten about the basic biochemistry of the body that naturally drives us to want to procreate — i.e. have sex?

Too often the leap is made, by the abstinence community that “sexually active” means “promiscuous,” which is a naive and polarizing statement. When a person makes the decision to become sexually active, the education and resources to be safe and confident should be made available to them upon their request, and provided in a respectful manner.

The dichotomy we are faced with is when moral conservatives are given carte blanche to create policy for everyone — including those who choose to not abstain from sex. One is left to wonder is this faction supposed to resign themselves to being marginalized and denied education and reasonably priced health care options?

The Student Health Center has done a wonderful job of providing condoms at a great price (20 for $5) but testing and services are expensive. I feel it is absolutely worth exploring the option of free STI testing for the student body. If it is fiscally feasible, the moral argument should stand aside.

This idea originally stemmed from one of the ASG “Grievance Sessions” held in The Quad, that are meant solely to generate feedback on the needs of the student body by talking to students themselves. A free STI check of someone who is already sexually active, and already in the doctor’s office out of concern is not going to be advocated by this test to practice casual sex. If anything, free testing would open the door to students who otherwise would forgo these tests out of financial constraint and provide them with good sexual education so they don’t have to come back again.

The idea that somehow the offer of free testing would suddenly spark students to act recklessly with their bodies and their health is preposterous.

Ohio State University and Columbia College are a few of the universities in the U.S. that provide free STI testing to their students. This is not a brand new idea, nor is it creating an epidemic of promiscuity in the Midwest.

If we can get the word out on the importance of testing for H1N1 if you’re displaying symptoms, I would expect the same zeal in checking to see if ones reproductive organs are healthy, too.

– Asha McElfish is public administration sophomore and a senator with the Associated Student Government

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